This the fourth in a series of articles I have written about how to transition into being a policy advisor. Apolitical has moved to a self-publication model - all errors are my own.

Here are the earlier parts:

Part one - introduction to the series and a focus on knowledge

Part two - writing

Part three - other applied skills

As with the rest of this series, I have enriched my own thoughts with interviews with folks who have successfully made the transition. I am grateful for their input.

Here are some key behaviours suggested for a policy role:

Willingness to round out/balance advice in difficult situations:

When you face a situation that is less than ideal (e.g., a ball has been dropped, you are asked to implement advice that you do not believe to be sound, or, smart people have mis-read a situation and things are in a difficult place), one of your main jobs may be giving reassurance that things are under control by describing the mitigation measures that you will take to keep the boat afloat.

Resilience/patience including the ability to go all in on “the honest advice, loyal implementation” maxim:

It may be particularly difficult to stay resilient if you came into policy to be more proactive and hoped to offer good ideas for improvements. Bumps along the way may include watching ideas get shelved and watching advice not be taken. The constraints of public servant life can limit progress because:

  • Your Minister has their own opinions;

  • Government is hierarchical - everybody has a boss who may disagree with their advice;

  • There may not be the money to proceed;

  • This may not be the right moment to make a move for any number of reasons including a change in Minister or a change in government; and

  • Decisions must often be made with the information available at the time and not necessarily the best possible information.

Interviewees also felt strongly about this behaviour trait being crucial on on the path to success:

“Resilience… really resonates with me. I think it is easy to get discouraged by the layers of bureaucracy or slow pace of change, and being able to find your own motivation and maintain a positive attitude is critical to career success and longevity.”

“Yes [resilience]! And having to develop not being overly attached to one’s own work, even if you have spent months or even years trying to advance a particular policy idea, because everything in policy is about timing!”

“Patience is [...] a key skill to have, which personally I have had to build. Sometimes in policy things move very quickly, and other times it is very slow. Ideas are shelved and revisited a year later, at a more opportune time.”

Other skills that interviewees added as being crucial for policy roles:

Relationship-building and maintenance including diplomacy

“ I also think truly successful policy analysts need to have strong interpersonal skills. Whether it's working with external stakeholders or other bureaucrats (who can be even more challenging!) being able to build and leverage relationships is key.”

Diplomacy: A tactfulness is needed when communicating to external stakeholders: finding the right balance between what information to include versus exclude; language used; consistency with terminology on website; managing expectations; staying open to receiving feedback etc.

“I have also been very strong in soft skills, and this has also served me surprisingly well in policy work- something I didn’t expect or recognize for many years after I started working in policy. I am a highly sensitive person who is very attuned to others, which can be both a strength and a weakness. In the workplace, this has translated into knowing what approaches to take with which people in a way that will make for the best working relationships. I don’t mean this in a calculating way, but rather genuinely appreciating the expertise of each person who I work with, showing respect for their time, and adapting to the different needs of my colleagues in terms of communication preferences and work styles. I invest a great deal in all my relationships and pride myself on being a supportive person in all aspects of my life, including at work, and these interpersonal skills have also served me very well in policy work, which is such a collaborative professional domain.”

Along the same lines, one person mentioned creating and maintaining strong relationships with operational colleagues in particular, notwithstanding that perspectives may be very different (and at times opposed).

Stay tuned for the last part of this series. That article will focus on a short discussion on some of the elements you may find stay the same between various government roles as well as some last bits of advice from folks I interviewed for this series.

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